02414 -- Scott Stephenson Eastern Echo Scholarship: This expendable scholarship is for the benefit of student(s) in the School of Communication, Media & Theater Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences. It will be awarded to a full or part-time junior or senior EMU student majoring in journalism and working for the Eastern Echo. The student should be working to self-finance their education and not be eligible for need-based grants.

3-star OT Coleon Smith signs with EMU after decommitting from Indiana

Smith announced his decision on Wednesday, April 15.

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Coleon Smith, a 3-star offensive tackle according to ESPN and 247 Sports, has signed with head coach Chris Creighton and the Eastern Michigan Eagles football program. Smith signed with the team on Wednesday, April 15 via Twitter. He previously committed to Indiana on February 5, 2020 before changing his mind in EMU’s favor.

“Through recruitment I went from considering Big Ten schools to JUCO to being signed with Eastern Michigan,” Smith told the Echo. “But even through the struggles of where I was recruiting, Eastern Michigan always treated me like family and I definitely took that into consideration.”

Smith committed to the Hoosiers, as well as Independence Community College, before ultimately deciding on staying close to home and attending Eastern Michigan. The 340-pound offensive tackle is out of Romulus, and attended Belleville High School. He also received scholarship offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, and West Virginia.

"We have been recruiting Coleon for a long, long time," Creighton told EMU Athletics. "He and his mother came on an official visit last June. He ended up deciding to commit to Indiana, however, things fell through. He is from eastern Michigan and we are Eastern Michigan University! We love it when great people, who are talented, choose to represent their region.”

Smith is one of 33 freshmen that will be joining the Eastern Michigan team next season as they try to improve on a 6-7 campaign that had a lot of ups and downs. According to EMU Athletics, the Eagles’ 2020 recruiting class consists of 18 3-star prospects, and two of the top-10 ranked recruits in program history.

Smith went on to talk about why he believes EMU is the right choice and what his goals and expectations are going forward: “I felt that Eastern Michigan had the tools that can help me succeed and be the best I can be at the next level. It was all about what fit me best at the time and my goal is to compete for a MAC championship.”

He also touched on his best attributes and what he’s been doing recently: “Physicality and IQ are two of my best qualities. I need to work on my finishing and speed. Quarantine has just slowed things down for me and I have been able to work on some things and I’ve been taking things upon myself to continue my routine during this time.”